RALEIGH, July 22, 2013― Six North Carolina farmworker service and advocacy groups have joined a coalition of dozens of other legal, labor, healthcare, anti-trafficking, religious and social organizations from across the country to urge the U.S. Department of State to respond to a December 27, 2012 letter from three United Nations Special Rapporteurs. The letter criticizes the U.S. government's lack of response and its inattention to the right of farmworkers to have labor camp visitors that deprives farmworkers from meeting with legal aid, health care and other community service providers.

"Farmworkers often reside in remote labor camps set up by their employers, with no personal means of transportation," said Lori Johnson, staff attorney with the Farmworker Unit. "Some employers prohibit workers from having visitors as a means of controlling workers. Legal Aid lawyers, health care workers, and other social service providers are routinely harassed and threatened with arrest for criminal trespass, despite an Attorney General opinion stating that trespass charges would not stand against service providers present at the invitation of labor camp residents."

The U.N.'s letter is the result of a complaint that alleged that the lack of meaningful access to migrant labor camps where farmworkers live and work was a violation of human rights. The complaint to the U.N. was filed by a nationwide coalition.

"Controlling visitors to labor camps has been a trick of the trade for human traffickers, even here in North Carolina," Johnson said. "the State Department's silence in response to the U.N. Special Rapporteurs' concern over these basic human rights violations is disturbing. "

Legal Aid of North Carolina and its coalition partners strongly urge the U.S. to respond to the communication by the Special Rapporteurs. Coalition advocates also request a direct meeting with the U.S. to discuss existing barriers and remedies to resolving the issue of lack of meaningful access to labor camps.

Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal help in civil cases to low-income North Carolinians. LANC's Farmworker Unit is a statewide project that serves agricultural workers throughout North Carolina. Learn more at www.legalaidnc.org or www.farmworkerlanc.org